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SOUTH FLORIDA REAL ESTATE LAWYER

The U.S. real estate market, particularly South Florida, while always bolstered by international homebuyers, is expected to be predominantly driven by international buyers in the coming years.  Foreigners or home buyers who are neither U.S. Citizens or permanent residents, are expected to increase sales and rents of homes in the United States. 

The majority of foreign buyers are from China, topping Canada from last year.  The bulk of future home purchases are being made in Florida with 22 percent, California with 15 percent and Texas with 10 percent.  Source: National Association of Realtors.

Foreigners find the United States and U.S. real estate a great place to invest, specially with countries where the political arena is unstable or in an uproar, like Venezuela and Panama.

At the Law Offices of Jacqueline A. Salcines, P.A. we have been assisting foreigners, both buyers and sellers, with their real estate needs since 1999.  We are a full service title company and extremely knowledgeable in FIRPTA rules and regulations.

Whether you are buying, selling or refinancing, we will handle all of the details and represent you from contract to closing.

Practice Areas

  • Real Estate Closings
  • Title Insurance
  • Contract Law
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • Short Sales
  • Debt Settlements
  • Negotiations

Contact the Law Offices of Jacqueline A. Salcines, PA today at (305) 669-5280 to schedule your legal consultation.

The Law Offices of Jacqueline Salcines offers cost effective services designed to meet your individual needs and requirements. For strong legal representation, call us at (305) 669-5280 today! Attorney Jacqueline Salcines  has been handling all types of real estate problems for 17 years. If you have an issue with a contract, title insurance, tax deeds, quiet title or any real estate issue, contact our probate and real estate attorney!

 Main office 305 | 669 | 5280. Or email the attorney directly: J.Salcines@Salcineslaw.com

TRUST |  COMMITMENT  | RESULTS

Jacqueline A. Salcines

Jacqueline A. Salcines

JACQUELINE A. SALCINES, ESQ.
706 S. DIXIE HIGHWAY
SECOND FLOOR
CORAL GABLES, FL 33146
TEL. 305 669 5280

Email:  J.Salcines@Salcineslaw.com

SOUTH FLORIDA REAL ESTATE LAWYERS

FIRPTA law, which stands for the Foreign Investment Real Property Tax Act, recently changed last year, increasing the withholding from 10% to 15%.  Many foreign sellers who enter into Residential real estate contracts, are not aware of this FIRPTA withholding requirement.  Foreign sellers believe that because they don’t pay federal income taxes in the United States, then they are immune from declaring any profits on real estate sales transactions or filing tax returns. This is false.

Any seller of real estate is required to disclose the sale to the Internal Revenue Service and if a foreigner, then 15% of the gross sales price will be withheld at the time of closing and remitted to the Internal Revenue Service.

Additional forms are then required to be filled out and sent to the IRS and eventually a tax return which if the amount of tax on the sale is less, the FIRPTA withholding difference is then refunded.

There are numerous exemptions to FIRPTA withholding requirements, for example if the sales prices is less then $300,000.00, if the buyer is going to live in the property, and countless others.

However many title companies and even attorneys are not familiar with exemptions and retain the funds regardless.

At the Law Jacqueline A. Salcines, PA., we have over 17 years experience assisting buyers of real estate and sellers, with their real estate needs.  Attorney Jacqueline Salcines is not only a real estate attorney but also an accountant and able to provide advice regarding FIRPTA and other tax issues. Practice Areas

  • Real Estate Closings
  • Title Insurance
  • Contract Law
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • FIRPTA considerations
  • Short Sales
  • Debt Settlements
  • Negotiations

When you have legal concerns related to  FIRPTA issues  the Law Offices of Jacqueline A. Salcines is here to help. Our real estate attorney has been serving the community for 17 years. We work hard to ensure personalized legal representation by carefully attending to each individual matter.

Contact the Law Offices of Jacqueline A. Salcines, PA today at (305) 669-5280 to schedule your legal consultation.

The Law Offices of Jacqueline Salcines offers cost effective services designed to meet your individual needs and requirements. For strong legal representation, call us at (305) 669-5280 today! Attorney Jacqueline Salcines  has been handling all types of real estate problems for 17 years. If you have an issue with a contract, title insurance, tax deeds, quiet title or any real estate issue, contact our probate and real estate attorney!

 Main office 305 | 669 | 5280. Or email the attorney directly: J.Salcines@Salcineslaw.com

TRUST |  COMMITMENT  | RESULTS

Jacqueline A. Salcines

Jacqueline A. Salcines

JACQUELINE A. SALCINES, ESQ.
706 S. DIXIE HIGHWAY
SECOND FLOOR
CORAL GABLES, FL 33146
TEL. 305 669 5280

Email:  J.Salcines@Salcineslaw.com

The Miami Association of Realtors ranked Brazilians as the “top foreign consumer searching Miami properties in May 2013”.   Source:  Miami Association of Realtors, The Miami Herald  Sunday, July 7, 2013. Next in line were Canada, Colombia and Venezuela.  What this equates to is a large number of foreigners investing in Miami Real Estate and depleting inventory of homes in South Florida.

While the majority of foreigners are smart enough to hire real estate lawyers to assist them with their purchases, far too many fail to do so and this failure to plan can result in costly mistakes.  So how do foreigners avoid the pitfalls of foreign investing in the United States?  First, it is important to understand who is considered a foreigner.  A foreigner is any person that is neither a citizen nor a green card holder in the United States.

For a foreign buyer, there are no special rules or regulations that must be carried out to purchase property.  They simply put in a contract, produce the funds and close.   If rent is collected, they must file income tax returns, a 1040NR, to declare the income and expenses as well a pay any applicable income tax.

The implications arrive at the time the foreigner is ready to sell!  Foreign nationals that sell real estate in the United States face heavy tax implications and are subject to FIRPTA.  If there was no legal guidance prior to buying, then there is little that a lawyer or tax professional can do to safeguard the foreigner.  The damage is done.

However, with the assistance of a real estate lawyer and accountant, and a little planning, many of the taxes can be avoided entirely.  As a real estate and business lawyer, as well as an accountant, I see it far too often. The closing takes place and a year later, when its time to sell, the damage is done.  At this point, shock takes over when these foreign sellers are told what they will have to pay the Internal Revenue Service.”  -Jacqueline A. Salcines, Esq., Attorney at Law, Accountant.  Therefore, the smart and savvy investor will hire an attorney to lay the foundation to structure the investment so as to avoid taxes and penalties.

The following are just a few of the items we can provide advice on that foreigners should consider prior to investing:

  1. How to take title –   As a foreign investor without either U.S. Citizenship status or residency status, foreign property buyers face quite a hefty tax upon the sale of their property. This can be avoided by either purchasing in the name of an LLC or structuring the purchase in a different manner.  While the capital gain is may only be taxed at 15%, if the foreigner dies while owning the real estate, the entire value in excess of $60,000 may be taxed at rates as high as  45%.
  2. FIRPTA Considerations.  The Foreign Investment Real Property Tax Act also requires settlement and closing agents to withhold 10% of the gross sale proceeds of foreigner, held at the time of closing,  and send to the Internal Revenue Service.  This insures that the IRS collects an amount if the foreign property owner fails to file an income tax return.  Properties under $300,000 may be exempt altogether if certain conditions are met
  3. EB-5 Visa.  The EB-5 category was created by Congress in the Immigration Act of 1990 to encourage the flow of foreign capitalStacks of One Hundred Dollar Bills with Small House. into the United States in order to create jobs for U.S. workers.  Under this Visa, the foreigner that invests a minimum of $500,000.00 can immediately obtain green cards for himself and his immediate qualifying family members.  This is also a consideration that foreigners can consider.

Although there are many rules and regulations to consider when purchasing and disposing of real property by foreigners in the United States, they do not have to be confusing.  Whether you are buying or selling, consult with a real estate lawyer and tax professional to ensure that you do not make any mistakes, and your investment is a sound one.

At the Law Offices of Jacqueline A. Salcines, PA, attorney Jacqueline A. Salcines is both a real estate lawyer, investment consultant, as well as an Accountant.  We stand able to assist foreigners to navigate the maze of foreign investing.  Call us today for a free consultation, or email us with any questions you may have. J.Salcines@salcineslaw.com

Jacqueline A. Salcines, Esq.

305  |   669    |   5280

TRUST    |    COMMITMENT    |  RESULTS